# 41
“...I can wait.”
“Yes. I will do my best to help treat the princess.”
Winter smiled as Helen nodded.
“We will start therapy sessions twice a week using drawings.”
While Winter was explaining the details of the treatment, Helen gathered her courage.
After a few days.
“Isn’t this the Grand Duke?”
After the art therapy session ended, Shevlin went out into the hallway and saw Aachen leaning against the window, looking dejected.
Recently, Aachen always wore this gloomy expression.
“Hmm...”
Shevlin counted on her ten little fingers, trying to figure out how long Aachen had been like this.
“Since Cherry slept seven times...that means...”
It has already been a week since she started witnessing this scene.
Aachen stared at Winter, who was talking to Helene from behind the glass window.
‘Cherry thinks the Grand Duke is in a bad mood because of Mr. Winter!’
Observing the scene, Shevelin deduced the reason for Aachen's sour mood.
But as soon as Aachen's eyes met Helen's eyes, a slight smile appeared on his lips, as if nothing had happened.
‘Huh, but Cherry’s eyes are not fooled. '
Not only that, but whenever Winter appeared, Aachen would pretend not to care, but it was clear that he hated him.
It wasn't because Winter was a bad person.
Winter was actually nice.
However, Aachen kept looking at him with that terrifying look…
‘The Grand Duke must admire my mother!’
Every time Aachen looked at Helen, his eyes filled with warm, flowing feelings.
Seeing this made Shivalin's heart skip a beat.
‘Cherry belongs to my mother, but hmm… The Grand Duke seems a bit pathetic too. '
But no matter how hard he tried, he could not win her affection, which frustrated him.
‘Since the Grand Duke treated Cherry when she was sick last time, Cherry should help him as well!’
Having made up her mind, Shevlin clasped her hands and jumped towards Aachen with a bright smile.
[O Grand Duke!]
“What brought the princess here? Did you get lost?”
When asked, Shevlin shook her head forcefully.
“I'll take you back to your room. If you wander off alone, Helen will worry.”
Shevlin took Aachen's hand, waiting for the right moment to bring up the topic.
Finding the perfect moment was key to starting any plan.
[Grand Duke, are you sad?]
Aachen's face remained impassive.
“Huh?”
[Your eyebrows are drooping like this~.]
She imitated his expression exaggeratedly, causing Aachen to finally laugh lightly.
‘Haha, the Grand Duke laughed! '
Aachen answered in a gentle voice:
"I'm a little tired. But thank you for worrying about me. And more importantly, Princess, have you eaten?"
At his question, Sheveline, who had eaten a hearty lunch, patted her round stomach.
[“Yes, I have eaten.” ]
“Well done. What is the most delicious food you have eaten?”
Aachen listened attentively to Schevelin and responded to her words with interest.
[“Cream soup! But I didn’t like carrots, so I spit them out secretly without my mother noticing.” ]
"Oh my God. Does the princess hate carrots?"
Aachen laughed as if he found it fascinating.
After my father left, my mother spent more days crying than smiling.
When her mother forced herself to show a bright smile to hide her sadness, Shevelin felt pain in her heart.
She felt like someone was poking her heart.
‘I hope the Grand Duke will please my mother.’
[“Hmm… You know, Grand Duke, should Cherry help you?”]
“Help me... with what?”
Aachen tilted his head, not understanding what she meant.
[“Oh my God, Duke Akbar. You like my mother.” ]
Aachen's face immediately reddened.
“It’s… Princess, it’s not that I… I mean, I like her, but not in the way you think...”
Aachen stammered, trying hard to explain himself.
[Sherry will help you.]
Shivalin extended her pinky with shining eyes.
“I, mm...”
Shevelin noticed his hesitation and stared at him with wide, eager eyes.
[You won't regret it.]
After hesitating for a moment, Aachen intertwined his pinky with hers.
[First, my mother likes people to wear their bangs up.]
“My bangs...”
At first, Aachen reluctantly agreed, but soon he began to listen carefully to Schevelin's words.
And she wasn't lying.
Helen looked impressed when Revan styled his hair differently in preparation for entering the palace.
‘I will never see my mother and father together like this again, but…’
Shivalin suppressed her almost overflowing emotions, and smiled brightly.
[And glasses!]
My mom also loves when people put glasses on and take them off.
“Glasses, glasses... Got it.”
Sheviglin felt proud to see Aachen diligently memorize everything she said.
Encouraged, Shivalin stamped her feet enthusiastically and continued listing everything Helan loved.
“Princess, I appreciate all the advice, but… Helen doesn’t feel the same way.”
When Shevelin saw Aachen's troubled expression, she shrugged her shoulders and offered him words of encouragement.
[“Grand Duke, if the person you love doesn’t feel the same way about you, then you must become someone he can’t help but love!” ]
Aachen seemed completely shocked by the unexpected mature advice from a child.
In a daze, he repeated her words to himself.
“He became someone he couldn't help but love…?”
[In addition, the Grand Duke is handsome, so you'll be fine!]
Shivalin winked playfully.
“Ah... so that's how things are...”
Aachen felt a little disappointed. He was suffering from something that was very simple to solve right before his eyes.
Up until now, he had just been waiting without making any effort to achieve anything.
If he showed his feelings slowly and honestly, they would one day be reciprocated.
“Thank you, princess. I will remember everything you said.”
Even if things didn't go as he had hoped, it was better than not trying at all.
"Princess! Princess Shivalin! Where are you?!"
Elisha's urgent voice rang out as she looked for Shivalin.
[Elisha is calling me. Well, Sheri is gone!]
Aachen watched as Shevellin ran away, waving her hands excitedly.
When he saw her pink hair fluttering delicately in the distance, he couldn't help but smile.
After a few days
“See you again next week, Your Highness.”
“Take care, Winter.”
As Winter was saying goodbye to Helen and preparing to leave through the palace gates, someone stopped him.
“…Your Highness?”
“Winter, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Winter immediately straightened up and answered politely.
Aachen wasn't doing anything alarming, and yet Winter couldn't shake a strange feeling that was troubling him.
'He's not a commoner...but why doesn't he mention his family name?'
What's more, there was something else worrying Aachen.
It was the way Winter addressed Helen.
Unlike Rosanna, who refused to acknowledge Helen as Grand Duchess, he did not appear to be deliberately disrespecting her title.
Rather, it seemed like a sign of familiarity.
This simple assumption was enough to sour Aachen's mood.
“You've been referring to Helen as 'Her Highness' instead of 'Grand Duchess' since last time. Why is that?”
Aachen did not hide his displeasure, making Winter sweat with tension.
“Well... I'm from Pitstein, and I've known her for a long time, so I guess it's just a habit...”
Winter Aachen's explanation made him rub his chin thoughtfully.
“Personal acquaintance then. Fine. However, Helen is now Lady of Hestor Castle. I hope you will remember that from now on.”
Aachen smiled, but his eyes were as cold as ice. This contradiction sent shivers through Winter's body.
“I was reckless. I will be more careful in the future.”
Aachen nodded approvingly and patted Winter on the shoulder.
“I'm glad you're someone who understands logic. Otherwise… it would be unfortunate.”
Winter felt unmistakable danger in those words.
He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if they hadn't reached an agreement.
“I hope you keep a proper distance from Helen from now on.”
“…Just in case there is any misunderstanding, Your Highness I am married.”
Winter quickly took out the wedding ring he had been hiding from view and showed it to Aachen.
Aachen examined the ring carefully, then frowned slightly.
"married?"
He felt a little embarrassed. If he had known that beforehand, he wouldn't have bothered to confront him like this.
“I see... when did you get married?”
His features relaxed.
“About four years ago. I have a son about the age of the princess.”
Now that Aachen's tone had softened, Winter felt relieved.
"son?"
Aachen narrowed his eyes again at Winter's passing mention of his child.
“Does your son look like you?”
“Yes, how did you know? Even though my wife gave birth to him, he looks just like me. People even joke that I gave birth to him.”
"birthday."
Winter laughed as he proudly showed off his son.
“You can go now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When Aachen returned inside, he saw Helene walking up the stairs.
“Helen.”
At Aachen's call, Helen stopped and turned to him.
“Your Highness, where have you been?”
“I went... for a short walk.”
‘If she knew that I went to confront Winter out of jealousy, she wouldn’t have liked it.’
So Aachen deliberately avoided mentioning his meeting with Winter.
“Helen, is it possible...”
"What?! What's wrong?"
Just as Aachen was about to say something, a voice full of shock interrupted them.
“Isn't that Garen?”
"His voice. I wonder what's going on..."
Aachen and Helen both turned towards the source of Garen's voice.
"Your Highness! We have a problem!"
Garen ran towards them holding a contact ball.
He said, “The young master has submitted his withdrawal papers from Kimmich Academy and is on his way to Histor Castle!”